Unmarked?
Angling my head to the side, I catch sight of my wrist. Nothing but a few clusters of freckles mark my skin.
This is before I was captured.
“Ya know what?” His eyes gleam with desire as his fingers roam toward the button of his pants. “I think after I’m done with ya, I’m gonna drag ya to the nearest channel and turn ya in for a reward.” He flicks the button undone then drags the zipper down. When he notices my expression, a pleased smile lights up his face. “Yeah, keep looking at me with fear in your pretty little eyes. I think I like it.” Keeping his bad knee locked, he slides his leg around then leans forward and places his hands beside my head, trapping me between his arms. His tongue slips out to wet his blistered lips. Then he lowers his mouth toward mine.
For a wildly, reckless moment, I contemplate allowing his lips to touch mine so I can suck his life dry until nothing is left but a bag of saggy flesh and broken bones.
Do it! Kill him! Make him hurt for what he’s about to do to you!
I inhale deeply and crinkle my nose at the pungent taste of the man’s life. He may be living, breathing, and moving around, but death has contaminated him. The taste of approaching death tastes bitter on my tongue and floods my lungs with a stench so potent that I dry heave.
“That’s it,” he purrs. “Shake with fear.”
“No.” My loud, steady voice startles us both.
He snarls, but then his gaze zips to my shoulder. “What the …? How the hell did you heal?” He slants closer, getting distracted by the freshly grown skin over the wound.
Scrounging up every ounce of strength I have in me, I lift my other arm, bringing my hand around the back of his head and grabbing the back of his neck. I pierce my nails into his flesh and yank him back, but he whips his arm around, smacks my arm, and grabs a fistful of my hair.
“Nope. You’re not gettin’ out of this. Not after what I saw.” Tugging at my hair, he clumsily stands up.
My head pulsates with excruciating pain as he yanks on my hair again.
“Let go of me!” I shout, kicking and writhing my body.
He laughs and starts walking, dragging me by my hair.
“Help!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I reach up and slap him in the back.
He lets out a grunt but doesn’t glance back as he takes longer strides.
I fight for a few more minutes until he begins to whistle a recognizable tune. The same tune Blaise was singing earlier. Wondering if he knows Blaise, I crane my neck to the side to memorize his features. That way, when I reunite with Blaise, I can give an accurate description.
What if you never see him again?
Despair burrows through my mind as I turn back around and watch the red-tinted dirt and sparse, shallow hills stream by me in a lifeless blur. A memory of the first time I experienced this moment tugs at the back of my mind. Bit by bit, I start to piece together the journey I’m about to embark on and have embarked on before.
This is how I ended up in the channels. This man turns me in, and then the Grim kill him.
Knowing I’m returning to that horrid place … to relive those wretched days of torture and depression …
No … I can’t do it … Not again …
I dig the heels of my boots into the dirt.
I can’t do it …
Fight!
I scream until my lungs are on the verge of combusting, kicking at the ground. I reach my arms above my head, trying to force my hair to rip from my skull. I thrash around, hit the man in the back, kick at the ground—do everything and anything to get free. Nothing works, and all I’m left with is an aching hope that I’ll starve to death before we get to the channels.
“Just a bit longer,” the guy announces after about an hour goes by. “I’m pretty sure there’s an entrance close by … I just need to find it … Oh, wait a minute, there it is.” He accelerates to a jog, and I jostle around, bouncing from side to side. “Hey! I got something for ya! It’s real good, too!”
“If you come any closer, I’ll have to snap your neck,” an all too familiar voice proclaims, causing my capturer to stop dead in his tracks.
Lex?
God, no…
Heavy footsteps storm across the desert, growing closer, closer, closer. Fear chokes me, making breathing complicated.
“What do you have?” Lex asks as his shadow falls over me.
The man rotates around, gripping my hair tight as he gestures at me with his free hand. “Look for yourself.”
Lex’s face appears in my line of sight; soulless, dark eyes landing on me. His nostrils flare as he inhales. “Well, isn’t this a divine scent. Almost as good as quercu …” His chest puffs out as he intakes more air. “No … Maybe even better …” He tears his eyes off me and looks at the man. “I’ll take her from here.”
The man grins from ear-to-ear. “Not without my reward, ya won’t.”
One corner of Lex’s mouth spasms. “Of course. And a fine reward it shall be.” His mouth opens to a toothy smile, then his hands dart out and he encloses his fingers around the man’s neck.
The man’s eyes bulge as Lex lifts him off the ground by his neck.
“Help …” the man gasps as he releases my hair.
The wind is sucked out of my lungs as I fall to the ground and on my back.
“Oh, I’m going to help you.” Lex offers him one final grin before kinking his wrist and snapping the man’s neck like a twig.
I scramble to my feet as Lex drops the man’s lifeless body. I make it three steps before he catches my hair and hauls me against him.
“You’re not going anywhere.” He snakes his arms around my waist and holds me against him as he presses his nose to the side of my neck. Then he breathes in and lets out a euphoric exhale. “You smell delicious … If it wasn’t for the laws, I’d keep you for myself.” He sniffs me again before scooping me up and slinging me over his shoulder.
“Let me go!” I shout, pounding my fists against his back.
He strides forward, unfazed. “Fight all you want, but this is your new home.”
I fight harder, punching and screaming. Time is running out, and soon, I’ll be a prisoner again.
Please let me die … Please let me die … Please let me—
Abruptly, a wave of numbness crashes over me, starting at my toes and swishing all the way up to the top of my head. A feeling of calmness blankets over me, but it gets chipped away by the feeling I’m being watched.
I tilt my head to the side, and then every single one of my muscles tighten.
Standing out in the distance is a copy of me, wearing the same tattered dress and scuffed leather jacket. And I’m not alone. Blaise is next to me, his fingers laced through mine, a worried look on his face.
What the …? Ghosts?
They flicker in and out of focus as the gnawing pain in my brain and muscles goes quiet. The world around me paralyzes as my eyelids softly slip shut.
At peace. I feel so at peace.
Guess I really can die …
Chapter 11
Reviving the Near Dead
“Allura, open your eyes,” Ryder’s wonderful voice caresses my ears. However, doubt weighs on my mind.
No … It’s not real … It has to be Lex or another Warden messing with my mind.
“Allura,” Ryder pleads. “Please wake up.”
I shake my head from side to side. No … I don’t want to … I don’t want to see the channels again.
“Sweetheart.” Rough skin caresses my cheek. “I know it’s scary, but I need you to open your eyes so I can know if the cure worked.”
Fearing this is a side effect of one of the Warden’s injections, my eyes remain lowered. I want to be brave, but I’m not ready to face the truth yet; acknowledge that my freedom is gone and that I’m going to relive my days in that cell. That Ryder, Reece, and Blaise are no more. That this was all a dream I’ve sunk into to deal with my traumatic reality.
“She’s not ope
ning her eyes,” Ryder says, sounding severely concerned. “Does that mean it didn’t work?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions just yet,” Reece tells him. “She may be a bit disoriented.”
“A bit disoriented?” Ryder questions. “Her eyes aren’t even open.”
“Give her a minute,” Reece says in a calm but firm tone. “She’s been under for weeks. It could take her a few hours to come out of it.”
Warm air tickles my cheek as Ryder heaves a sigh. “I hope you’re right.”
“I usually am,” Reece reminds him. “Now sit back and give her some time.”
The fingers resting on my cheek move away, leaving my skin chilling cold.
Silence engulfs me, the stillness rattling my already fragile nerves. I want to move, open my eyes, see why it feels like someone is watching me. But then I’d have to deal with the consequences of the truth, and I’m growing quite fond of my delusional bubble. Well, at first, anyway.
The more time trickles by, the more unsettled I become. Restlessness stirs inside me, driving me to the brink of insanity until I finally can’t take it anymore.
With a preparing breath, I open my eyes and face the outcome I probably deserve, if I’m being entirely honest and unselfish.
A neon yellow light instantly overwhelms my vision, and I wince, my eyeballs feeling as though they’re bleeding.
“Shit, sorry. I forgot I had that on.”
When the light dims, Reece’s face materializes above me. His scruffy jawline hasn’t been shaven in at least a week, his brown hair is a chaotic mess, and dark bags reside under his worry-filled eyes.
“Can you hear me?” He aims a tiny flashlight into my eyes. “Her pupils are responsive.” Fingers press to the inside of my wrist as he glances at the watch on his wrist. “Her pulse is steady.” He leans closer with a crease forming between his brows. “And she seems to be breathing normally.”
“Then why isn’t she saying anything?” Ryder leans over me. Like Reece, his jawline is covered in scruff, his blond hair is a crazy mess, and he looks sleep-deprived.
“I don’t know yet.” Reece tosses the flashlight onto a table then rests his hand beside my head. “Maybe you should go get Rae.”
Nodding, Ryder spins around to leave.
“Wait,” I manage to croak out. “I’m fine.”
Reece sits up straighter while Ryder reels back around, relief washing over his features.
“You can hear us?” Reece asks, reaching toward a square, beeping machine. He pushes a few buttons and the lines on the screen blink. Then he faces me again. “For how long?”
“A while.” I rest my hand on the base of my parched throat and look around. I’m lying in a bed, in a room made of dark grey grated walls. A blanket is pulled over me and wires run from my wrists and head to a small machine balanced on top of a stainless steel table. “I could’ve spoken sooner, but I was afraid you guys weren’t real.” I’m still slightly doubtful.
This place feels so cold, like the Wardens’ experiment rooms. As I take in the warmth and kindness in Ryder and Reece’s eyes, though, my skepticism dissipates. Wardens couldn’t create such warm emotions. This place … Them … It must be real.
“Where am I?” I cough against the scratchiness at the back of my throat.
“I’ll get her some water,” Ryder says, hurrying off somewhere.
“You’re at Leviter Station.” Reece sits on the edge of the bed and brushes my hair out of my eyes. “How much do you remember?”
I search my mind for the answer. “Climbing up a cliff … Falling … You guys saying that I was shot by the Kiss of Death. Blaise driving through a Tracker … Passing out … Waking up in water … Blaise and I going to a world filled with death … A stranger showing up … Blaise disap—” I quickly shoot upright and end up smacking heads with Reece.
He moans, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead while using his other hand to steady me by my shoulder. “Easy. The medication I used to counteract the effect of the Kiss of Death has some strange side effects.”
“Like what?” I wave my hand around in front of me. I can barely keep track of the speedy movement.
“Like your brain’s inability to control how your body moves.” Reece captures my hand then slips his fingers through mine. “You might want to take it easy on moving around too much until you regain more control over your body. In fact, you should probably lie back down.”
I nod and the whole room bounces. “I can do that … after I see Blaise.” I need to know he’s okay, more than I’ve ever needed anything.
Reece stiffens, his lips parting. “Allura, there’s something I need to—”
“Here. Drink this.” Ryder returns with a cup.
I reach for it but move too fast and nearly knock it out of his hands.
“Sorry,” I sputter, pulling back.
“No apologizing for things that aren’t your fault, remember?” Ryder playfully scolds, wagging his finger at me. Then he moves the cup toward my face. “Open up.”
I obey, unhinging my jaw, and he moves the straw into my mouth.
“Now, drink.”
Feeling a little embarrassed that he’s taking care of me, I wrap my lips around the straw. The second the refreshingly cold water spills down my throat, any embarrassment flies away to the sky, never to be found.
Reaching up slowly, I place my hands atop of his and around the cup, slurping down the water savagely.
“She’s dehydrated,” Ryder comments with concern as I continue to guzzle the water.
“That’s understandable.” Reece checks the monitor again. “She was in the Oblivion for nearly three weeks.”
“Yeah, but usually people drink while they’re in there,” Ryder says. “Allura, didn’t you drink anything?”
I shake my head from side to side, removing my lips from the straw. “We never got a chance.”
Ryder moves the cup away from my mouth. “How come?”
I wiggle around until the wires attached to me aren’t pulling so tightly, but I move too fast and nearly fall off the bed. When Ryder steadies me, I offer him a grateful smile.
“There was a lot going on in the memory Blaise and I were in,” I explain. “First, these Orders showed up … Wait. Couldn’t you guys see what was going on in there? I thought that’s what the point of the Oblivion was … so you guys could see my memories.”
“Normally, it is.” Reece brings his knee up onto my bedside. “Because of the circumstances of why you were in there, things worked a little differently.”
I glance back and forth between the two of them. “You mean because I was dying?”
Reece nods, his throat muscles working hard as he swallows. “We basically had to toss you in there without much prep time, so we weren’t able to monitor much.” He pauses, contemplating. “Plus, your brain works a little differently and the machine struggled to completely connect with you.”
My shoulders slump, my gaze descending to my hands. “Different how?”
“I don’t know yet, but we will figure it out.” Reece hitches a finger under my chin and forces me to look at him. The kindness in his expression makes eye contact easier than I thought. “I know you’re nervous, but I’d really like to have Rae look at you. She’s a lot smarter than me, and she might have a better answer to what’s going on.”
“You mean, the doctor here?” I ask, fidgeting. “The one Mable told me to see?”
“She told you to see Rae?” Ryder asks, reminding me that he and Reece don’t know the entire story of what happened back at the East City Post when Mable tested my blood on moonstone. Only Blaise does, because he could hear through the walls.
Blaise.
“She did after she tested my blood and found I had traces of Grim in me.” I sit up straight and reach to throw the blanket off me. “Blaise actually heard everything she said, so maybe we should talk about this with him.”
I start to get up, but Reece sets a hand on my shoulder and gently gui
des me back down.
“Allura, you can’t get up yet. Not until the cure wears out of your system and your movements return to normal.”
“Okay … Then can you ask him to come in here?” My heart squeezes in my chest as the two of them trade one of their cryptic looks. “What’s going on? Where’s Blaise?” When neither of them respond, I grow a bit frustrated. Not wanting to come off demanding or annoying, I try to remain patient. “While we were in the Oblivion … something happened to him. Did something happen to him here, too?”
They exchange another secretive look that nudges me toward the brink of insanity. I want to scream at them to tell me. The uncontrolled reaction frightens me, and I wonder where it stems from. From the Grim blood pumping through my veins?
“Something did happen to him,” Ryder finally speaks, covering my hand with his. “Something that’s never happened before.”
“What was it?” I whisper hoarsely, recalling the time traveler’s final words to me.
I wasn’t here for you. Well, not completely.
What did he do to Blaise?
Ryder glances at Reece then sits down on the edge of the bed and takes both of my hands in his. “He vanished.”
“He what?” Stabbing pain bursts through my chest, and the monitors I’m hooked to react with a series of fitful beeps.
“Allura, you have to calm down.” Reece grabs one of my hands from Ryder and gives it a tender squeeze. “Your body’s already been under so much stress. And even though you heal faster than an average human, it’s still going to take at least a few days before you’re completely back to normal.”
Nodding, I take one breath after another until the beeping evens out. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to stay calm, but it’s just that …” I inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth as anxiety starts to get the best of me again. “You said he disappeared; where did he go?”
Oblivion (Broken City #3) Page 8
